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You Can’t Punch Every Problem, Sometimes You Gotta Throw Books At It Until You’re Smart Enough To Learn To Deal With The Real Issue, Light Novel Edition (When Will She Stop?)
__FORCETOC__ May 29th, 2019; Smithtons' Apothecary The Shop It’s a rainy day in Halcyon City. The water comes straight down from the skies and the streets are largely empty, save for the occasional car driving through the streets with headlights on and windshield wipers moving at maximum speed. One car stops and a door opens. Out jumps Gwendolyn du Lac, wearing a short yellow raincoat and pulling the hood over her head. She shouts a thanks at Lukas, the driver, then shuts the door and hurries towards the entrance to a store as Lukas drives off. Gwen breathes a sigh of relief as she enters Smithtons' Apothecary. Her hair is already soaked from the short time outside. She rubs at her cat-like ears and shakes her head to get some water out of her hair. She rubs her face, then looks up and takes a look around. The shop was as usually filled with shelves stacked with all manner of strange objects and books. Behind the counter were a number of cabinets bearing strange labels and in the few cases where the doors were glass all manner of strange bottles and vials could be seen. The counter itself was formed of a glass case containing yet more strange knick knacks and antiques, all juxtaposed with the surprisingly modern cash register. Behind the counter sat Gabriel Smithton, clad in nice pants and a collared white shirt. Around his neck hung the usual golden sun pendant and his hair was as always tied back. If not for the softly glowing golden wings gentle waving behind him he would appear to be a completely ordinary cashier. A completely ordinary cashiere who was reading a book and who didn't look up as the little bell on the door rang. "Welcome to Smithtons' Apothecary and Cabinet of Curiosities, feel free to browse and let me know if you need any help," he said as he turned a page. Gwen’s eyes traced over all the magical—and possibly non-magical but otherwise strange, occult or supernatural—with a mixed look of wonder and familiarity. In a way, it was like coming home, to a place that felt like her mother could live there, but without her, and instead— She smirked, and walked forward as she began to take off her raincoat. She put on her best noir film actress voice. “Well well well, Gabriel Kynaston Smithton. Of all the apothecaries and cabinets of curiosities, I had to walk into yours.” She leans on the counter and smiles at Gabe. “Hi,” she says. Gabe shut his book out of surprise, his wings momentarily freezing up before twitching a bit as he looked up. "Oh, hey Gwen," he said, "I didn't expect you to come around. Um, did you need me for something?" He looked back down at his book and then put it down on the counter as he stood up. Gwen waves it off. "Oh, not in particular, I wasn't aware you'd be working today. I'm here mainly to look for books on magic and artifacts that can help me with something. I can just browse around if you prefer to keep reading." She holds up her raincoat. "Any place I can hang this up though?" He looks around for a bit and shrugs. "Not really? I mean, I can put it behind the counter for you, but that's it," he said as he held out his hand for her raincoat, "As for books on artifacts what are you looking for? Is there a time period or style in question?" Gwen hands Gabe the raincoat and adjusts her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Oh, uh," she looks away, trying to find the right words for it. "I'm interested in creation of magical artifacts, especially weapons. Smiths--heh--have always been seen in various cultures as having magical powers in their ability to create things with fire and water. However, to forge a magical weapon is on another level entirely. I just kind of want to understand the process, y'know?" Gabe neatly folds up the raincoat and stashes it under the counter as he thinks about Gwen's request. "Well, do you have a specific region or time period in mind? Just to narrow it down of course." He stepped out from behind the counter and headed for a row of books along the back wall and started pulling out the occasional tome to give it the look over before putting it back. "Unusual question, what can you read?" "Ummm," Gwen hesitates. "Well..." She shuffles her feet. "If you have any books on... the British Isles from the Late Roman period to just before Shakespeare? As well as perhaps modern techniques, or anything from otherworldly or extra-terrestrial sources." She follows after Gabe. "I can read English, French, Latin and Greek. Some Norse runes. A little bit of Hebrew? And I'm learning Spanish." Gabe reached up to the top shelf and pulled down a heavy volume bound in black leather. The pages had gilt edges and there was no title on the cover. "Here we go, 'On the Nature of Weaponry', by Wulfstan of York. A little surprised you don't just ask Nimue, but this should provide a good starting point for your study, especially the chapter on the scabbard of Excalibur." At the mention of Nimue, Gwen winces a little. Had Gabe somehow perceived her absence as of late and this was his way of showing it? She hoped it was just a harmless comment. “Well, you know how fae are, always keeping their secrets! Hahaha,” she laughs it off. “But the scabbard of Excalibur sounds perfect, thank you.” She takes the tome from Gabe and looks at the index. “Hmmm, do you perhaps also have something on Mjolnir, for an easy comparison? The modern techniques would also be preferable, unless you don’t have anything worthwhile. I’m mainly curious to see how old techniques compare to new ones and how to... syncretize different techniques from different worlds together. Earth and Avalon, y’know?” Gabe was indeed very unaware of Nimue's current condition and readily accepted Gwen's explanation as he turned back to the shelves. "Well, Mjolnir wasn't made by mortal artifice as far I can recall, but I think we've got something here," he crouched down and pulled a wooden box covered in intricate geometric patterns from the bottom shelf, "I'm sorry, the only copy we have is a scroll. The author's something of an eccentric that way, but it's the best account of the weapons of the Aesir and Vanir there is." He hands the scroll case over the Gwen as he starts to look up and down the row of books before walking a couple metres away from Gwen and removing a small book bound in red silk. Despite its size it seemed Gabe needed both hands to carry it. "As for modern techniques, this is the best there is. Carlotta's Forging Handbook, careful, it's heavy." Gwen took the book from Gabe with one hand and gave it a look over. “Very nice, thank you! This is already more helpful than the fab Llyr library. It’s got a lot of witchcraft, but nothing on smithing specifically that I could find on my own. Um. This is a store, not a library, right?” She put the other book and scroll on the red silk book and rummaged around in her pocket, producing a credit card. “Do you take credit, or are you more of a ‘cash only’ establishment?” He was a little surprised at the comparative ease Gwen displayed with carrying the last book, but then, she did swing around a sword quite a lot so it was to be expected. "You're right, this isn't a library. We do offer a lending scheme though if you only need the books for a short period of time," he said as he led Gwen back to the counter. He pulled out a shiny new card reader as he started to tap away at the cash register. “Oh!” Gwen ponders the option. “I don’t think I’ll need them for a long time? If I commit to reading through them, I can make notes and be done in a few weeks. So yeah, that’d be a great option.” She stands at the cash register waiting for Gabe to finish. She looks at his trailing wings. “So they’re out all the time now, are they?” Gabe pulled out a book and laid out a contract for Gwen to sign before he entered the amount into the cash register with a satisfying ding. "Standard form in case you lose them or damage them, when you're signed you can swipe your card. Or tap or insert," he said before looking up and realising what the other teen had asked. His wings waved a little more vigorously as he thought about them. "Yeah, I think they're getting brighter too. I just try and ignore them these days." Gwen scans through the form Gabe asked her to sign, like any contract. Her father had taught her to always check for fine print, just in case. In between reading the paragraphs, she glances up at Gabe. “If your wings are magical, and you’re a wizard, why don’t you have a way to—I dunno—dismiss them?” The contract really was just a standard rental form, not even hexed or slightly cursed. Gabe's wings fluttered a little before going still suddenly. "Unfortunately, no. If they were magical it'd be easy," he said, "But they aren't. I can try to keep them under control if you find them distracting, but 'dismissing' them isn't something I can do. Well. Maybe, I've tried and it didn't work." Gwen picks up a pen. “Just ink huh?” She jokes, as she signs it. She shakes her head. “It’s fine. That light seems like it might be handy for reading in the dark. Difficult to sleep with, though. But are they like, a limb to you? Like how you control your fists but can’t dismiss them?” In response to that question Gabe's wings suddenly moved into action and a few thin tendrils picked up the signed form and put it away into a convenient filing cabinet, all without Gabe having to even turn to look. "Yeah, a bit more than limbs even." “Oohh, swanky,” Gwen looks impressed. She leans on the counter with both arms, clearly invested in the direction of the conversation. “So, what’s the difference between your magic and your powers? Is all the sunbeam stuff you do magic or something else?” Gabe pulled out a stool and sat down on it in behind the counter, waving an arm to call over another stool for Gwen. It gently floated over and bumped lightly against her side. He nudged the card reader a little closer to her to indicate she still needed to pay, but he didn't address it in words. "Short answer is no. Long answer is no with a complicated explanation. The quickest way I can probably explain it is that magic is an otherworldly force that is nevertheless a fundamental component of reality. It straddles the boundary between the impossible and possible, the natural and unnatural. You're from Avalon, right? In the spirit world?" Gwen swipes the card through the reader and pays, then sits down on the stool, putting her messenger bag down next to her. “Yeah, Avalon, Spirit Realm,” she responds, “and Ireland. Well, not really. Mam’s from there.” Gabe waits for the receipt to print out before handing it to Gwen. "Well. The reason I ask is that, in short, the Spirit Realm is sort of where magic comes from. It's got nothing to do with spirits or anything, just that magic here on Earth is somehow made possible because of the existence of the Spirit Realm," he paused for a moment, clearly trying to remember things he'd been taught, "Don't ask me why, I don't properly understand it myself, but it's got something to do with how it sort of suffuses reality with magic. Kind of like being in a warm room with an invisible heater." Gwen nods. "I think I understand. It's sort of like... physics? Like you got the laws of thermodynamics, but also the laws of magic? My mam's told me about some magic things in the past, but her witchcraft is a lot more... artistic and emotional-based, I think. It's a lot more about feeling it out and 'just do it' attitude than the more mathsy-looking ritual circle stuff that I see Rhiannon conduct sometimes." She shifts on her stool. "So since you compare it to an invisible heater, is that kind of what your wings are? Or, well, I guess they're visible heaters now." "I probably didn't explain that very well," he said looking off into the corner of the shop to think for a bit, "I suppose a better way to say it is that magic comes from both inside and outside. The world is suffused with magical energies and sorcerers can interact with that. My powers, and my wings, come entirely from within whereas my magic also needs the world in order to exist. Here, I'll draw a diagram." Gabe closed his eyes for a moment before opening them to reveal a strong emerald glow. He dragged a finger across the wooden counter, leaving a trail of green flame tht inscribed it with scorch marks. One was of a stick figure person surrounded by arrows pointing both into and out of them and the second was of a stick figure with a bunch of arrows pointing away from them. The second was clearly a representation of Gabe as he had arranged the arrows to look like his wings. “Ahh okay, that makes sense,” Gwen nods. “I guess my wings are probably different, since I need to draw power from a magic artifact to manifest them. This looks very... theoretical? There’s a lot more to magic than I thought.” She pokes at the scorchmark drawings. “So your wings are your energy manifesting, and your magic is your energy and the world’s energy coming together, if I understand right. That’s cool to know. Have you ever compared notes on how your magic works with Rhi or Rescue and their magic?” "I'm definitely not explaining it right," he said pointing to the figure with arrows going towards and away from them, "Sorcery, magic, wizardry, whatever, is as you describe. Power from within and without coming together to create something wonderful, like what I did to the counter just now. "My wings and my powers have nothing to do with that. Take the world away and the wings keep shining, so not actually magic. My sorcery would falter and probably stop working, but that's unrelated." “So... do your wings have nothing to do with energy from within you then? Do they come from somewhere else?” she asks. He just shook his head. "The exact inverse., they originate entirely from within without regard to the nature of the world around me," he tapped the winged stick figure with all the arrows pointing away, "A bit like the Sun, evershining without input of fuel. That doesn't mean my powers can't be suppressed as I'm pretty sure I told you, but that's painful." The crinkle above Gwen's nose slowly deepens as she thinks. "Okay. Okay," she says, patting the stack of books on the counter, to change the subject. "I will read these books." She puts them away into her messenger bag, before another idea pops into her head. "Say, would you mind if I... touched your wings?" Gabe brushed a hand across the counter and erased the scorchmarks as though they had never been there. "My wings? Uh, sure," he answered, a few tendrils of one of his wings drifted forward to be within Gwen's reach, "A little odd, but just don't try and grab them, better to hold your hand out." “I uh, okay,” Gwen reaches out to Gabe’s wing-tendrils, getting ready to use her retrocognition. Just before she touches it, she frowns slightly at Gabe. “Are you sure you understood what I meant by touching?” "I figure you just want to see what they feel like. Don't worry they won't -" As Gabe spoke a faint tendril of light came to rest against Gwen's hand. It seemed to weigh nothing and was only slightly warm but this was immediately forgotten as a blinding flash of light overwhelmed Gwen's senses. What followed next was a jumble of sensations as an entire person's life flashed before her eyes along with every thought and feeling played in vivid technicolour. Enter The Light The visions didn't last for very long and a few short years into Gabe's life they paused and were swept away in a wave of golden light. It was clear that Gwen wasn't quite alone. Gwen tried to shut her eyes against the golden light that engulfed her, but it was impossible. It wasn't simply sight. It was the experience of the golden light itself that surrounded her. The nagging feeling that there was another presence beyond herself made her call out. "Hello? Is anyone there? Gabe? Anyone?" The light grew in brightness for a few more seconds before it vanished to reveal a relatively ordinary, though poorly lit, room. Gwen found herself seated in a comfortable antique chair with a cup of tea in her hand. Seated across from her on the other side of a low table was a familiar looking man with long black hair. He was busy pouring himself tea and his face was somewhat concealed in shadow. Gwen frowned. This wasn't how it usually went. Then again, when it came to her teammates, "usually" was a very broad expectation that was perhaps a little unreasonable to have of people with unstable, far-reaching, or doom-filled powers. Maybe she was just lucky to not have accidentally caused an explosion, given her previous experiences with Gabe. She raised the cup of tea and sniffed it. "Hmmm, cranberry mint, very nice. Thank you, sir... ?" She trailed off, waiting for the figure to introduce himself. She noticed her clothes were different from the ones she'd worn in the shop--a bit more old-fashioned by her tastes, but stylish, and at least they were dry. At the mention of the tea being cranberry mint the room flickered momentarily and the man with dark hair paused. “Yes, cranberry mint,” he said in an oddly familiar voice. The voice was somewhat similar to that of Gabe’s father, though not as deep and definitely not as confident, “It’s such a pleasant surprise that you’re visiting Lady du Lac. Please do not feel obliged to call me Sir, we’re all friends here.” There had most definitely been far more successful attempts at deflecting questions. “What should I call you then?” Gwen frowned as she sipped at the tea. “I can’t just address you without a name or title, unless you expect me to give you one.” “Are we playing riddles Lady du Lac?” he said as he lifted up his own cup of tea, “Or do you not recognise me?” The man’s eyes started to glow bright green as he looked over at Gwen, the same characteristic emerald glow that Gabe’s eyes had shown earlier when he used his powers of sorcery. “Well then, Gabe,” Gwen started, “what is the meaning of this?” She gestured at their surroundings. “Are you using your magic to have me over for tea time when you could just as easily have tea with me in the material realm? Or… is Gabe still there, and should I call you Pretender Gabe instead? Where are we?” “The meaning of this is quite simple,” he began, “You came to my office seeking answers to questions. That answers all questions quite succinctly. I am here, we are in Halcyon and you have yet to tell me what it is you wish to know.” As he spoke a haze seemed to settle over the room, one that seemed to distract and lull the mind, but the effect slipped from Gwen’s mind quickly and the version of Gabe seated across from her frowned momentarily. Gwen blinked slowly and shook her head. She couldn’t place that weird feeling, but what should could place was that there was something off about this Gabe. She didn’t remember coming to his office, nor him even having an office! Nevermind that she only remembered him calling her ‘Gwen’. She hummed thoughtfully. “Alright then: I want to see where your wings come from. Your sun powers. I don’t want an explanation, I don’t want theory, I want to experience it for myself. That’s how I learn best.” She tried to look him in the eye, before hesitantly adding, “Professor.” Gwen’s hesitation seemed to affect the mysterious alternate Gabe more than it did her. His frown remained as the room around them flickered and shifted into the stereotypical office of an academic. This new illusion didn’t last however as it suddenly shifted to a lecture hall and then a garden which suddenly dissolved into millions of motes of soft golden light to be replaced by nothing but white light in all directions. Gwen found herself still seated in the same comfortable armchair, holding the same cup of tea, but alternate Gabe was not, instead hovering motionless with his disguise discarded entirely. His golden wing tendrils waved back and forth slowly as he looked down at Gwen in confusion. “Gwendolyn du Lac,” he said, “I apologise for the deception…” Gwen’s eyes widened a bit at the sudden rapid changes in scenery, but she was not displeased by it. She opened her mouth, torn between a smug response and a chastising one, before realizing that it wouldn’t get her anywhere--and if it actually was the real Gabe in front of her, in some form, he didn’t deserve that either. “Thank you,” she just said. “So, Gabriel? Why the deception? I can imagine being hesitant at someone experiencing your vast powers, but if you worry about me: don’t. I’ve experienced worse.” She smiled gently. “I am just curious to see what it’s like, and maybe it can help you indirectly stave off your… seemingly inevitable turning-into-a-literal-sun thing.” “To protect Gabriel,” he said, “You assailed the fortress of his mind, somehow… I don’t know how, but whatever means you’re using clouds my ability to defend him. In retrospect I should have been honest with you. The knowledge you seek is vast and the means you seek to employ to acquire it is dangerous. “Your intentions are noble, but Gabriel will likely be distressed should something happen to you. His fate may be to burn from within, but you have a choice here. Do you wish to feel the spark ignite? To feel the light suffuse every aspect of your being? To know deep down that in time you will be consumed utterly as you transcend the shackles of mortality?” Alternate Gabe reached out with one hand as the veins on his skin began to glow with the same golden light as his wings and eyes, a glow that spread across his skin. “If so, take my hand or halt this inquiry now.” Gwen looked at Alternate Gabe’s hand. She put down the teacup and stood up. “I will do all I can to prevent such destruction,” she said. “Especially when it comes to my friends.” Her hand came down upon the golden glowing one as she took it. Alternate Gabe pulled his hand back at the last second in hesitation, but he quickly overcame that and grasped Gwen’s hand. The teacup, chair and table all vanished in a shower of golden sparks as the two of them suddenly fell. Tendrils of golden light streaked behind them as they transitioned from the soft white light and into darkness. The alternate Gabe had a look of determination on his face and he seemed not to care as they descended further and further, passing by images and snapshots of Gabe’s memories too quickly to register details. A few shadowy beings rose up to bar their way, but Alternate Gabe just lashed out with his wing tendrils and sent them flying into the darkness. He again lashed out his wings and before the two of them a crystalline barrier of pure darkness broke open. In this mindscape Gwen didn’t need to be concerned about blindness, but the golden light that broke forth was brilliant beyond comprehension. Even once she shut her eyes from instinct and turned away it was still there, burning into her mind. And then it was gone. The two of them were just calmly levitating over a lake of molten gold that stretched in all directions forever beneath a star studded sky. A giant figure stood off in the distance, visible only by its silhouette against the sky. “We’re here,” Alternate Gabe said solemnly, “Gabriel’s very soul laid bare before you. You have but one final chance to turn back Gwendolyn du Lac.” Gwen breathed in deeply in a reaction to the shock of the sudden fall and bright light. She felt her lungs get hot. Everywhere she looked, she felt the need to close her eyes. She did so for a moment and shook her head. She noticed that, inadvertently, her own wings had manifested. It was almost like an instinctive reflex, as she hadn’t even noticed. She noticed a slight glow on her palms as her retrocognition interacted with the depths of Gabe’s own powers. She swallowed a lump in her throat. The memory of encountering The Dragon came to her, where she felt likewise briefly overwhelmed, although back then she also could feel her very being coming apart, torn at the tiniest seams. Surely Gabe’s powers could not do the same? He was only human, after all. “I’ve come this far,” Gwen said to Alternate Gabe. “And I’ve always been told I don’t seem to believe in the sunk fallacy. I won’t turn back now. Not if I can understand. Not if this helps me… or Gabe.” She gestured, glancing towards the giant figure. “Lead the way, spirit.” The ‘spirit’, for lack of a better word suddenly grabbed Gwen’s wings with the tendrils of his own wings. His grip tightened as they entwined around them and it dove into the lake of gold, pulling Gwen along with him. The figure in the distance and the sky above vanished as they were submerged in liquid light. Energy flooded into every aspect of Gwen’s being, almost to the point that her very blood was on fire. She could feel herself burning up and in a few short moments her body was reduced to ash as her now unfettered spirit exploded forth in every direction like a dying star. Gwen was caught off guard by the sudden pull. As they plunged down, her mouth opened in an endless scream. The sounds died out in the raging explosion all around them, the light blinding her as the light was brighter than she had imagined brightness could be. But then everything was fine, they were back above the lake as though nothing had happened. Alternate Gabe however was wreathed in golden flames that clung to his robes, trying and failing to burn them. A tower of purple metal rose from the molten gold to meet their feet as Gwen’s guide slumped to the ground, his wings slowly drifting down behind him to lay across the gleaming metal. “A moment in the Well of cosmic energies,” he said, “Not something you or I was meant to experience but I was able to insulate you from harm. But the memory of burning alive, of being consumed by power from within, that… That I can’t protect you from.” Gwen stood still, as if frozen in place. She stared straight ahead of her as she processed all that had just happened. Then she took a sudden, deep breath as she returned to the present. “Wow.” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, before sitting down and putting a hand on Alternate Gabe’s shoulder. “Thank you for that. I guess I hadn’t expected it to be dangerous for you too. I’ll remember this, so that I can weaponize it and use it to protect Gabe and everyone else.” She tried to smile, but it hurt. She touched her lips and noticed they were very dry. Small wonder, having just been plunged into what she thought was the equivalent of a literal sun. “I’m ready to go back when you are.” Alternate Gabe sat up as Gwen put her hand on his shoulder. He patted out the flames covering his garments before he spoke. “I’m surprised you don’t have more questions,” he said, “After all, you said you sought understanding. You are right though, this isn’t the place to talk. Honestly, being watched by that Thing makes me uncomfortable.” He didn’t give Gwen a chance to answer as he took her by the hand once more as he suddenly leapt into the air, streaking upwards like a reverse comet. The tower they had rested upon melted back into the sea as they approached the star filled sky. It shattered before them and quickly resealed into a barrier of darkness as they passed through. Dark figures approached them again, but Alternate Gabe lashed at them with a whip of light and they were left far behind them. Snapshots of past experiences passed them by and in but a few moments they were once more surrounded by soft white light. Gwen yelped as she was pulled in and they flashed again through the sky. She held out a hand reflexively as if to summon her weapon to assist Alternate Gabe in warding off the dark figures, but luckily that was unnecessary, as she noticed after the moment was already past that she could not summon it. The white light filled her vision... ...and she pulled her hand away from Gabe’s wings. She was back in the store. “Oh,” she let out. “That was… um. Yes. Quite the sensation.” She stammered through her words, almost sounding posh in her voice in her surprise at what had just happened. The Shop Again “Right. Thank you, Gabriel.” She almost bowed before she caught herself. “I’ll… I’ll be off then. I’ve got a lot to read and a lot to think about. Are you okay? I am okay. We are okay, right?” Gabe just gave Gwen an odd look. “Yes, everything’s okay,” he said, “Should it not be?” He handed her a printed receipt as his eyes scanned her expression with concern. After a few seconds he just shrugged. His friends were an odd bunch so this was probably par for the course for Gwen when she touched shiny things for all he knew. “Well, if you’re quite sure you’re alright. Enjoy the books and don’t forget your copy of the rental agreement.” “Thank you, Real Gabe,” Gwen said, picking up her messenger bag with the books and taking the rental agreement note. “See you again soon!” She walked to the door, opened it, stood still for a moment to wave at Gabe, and then exited the store. She pondered the things she’d seen and felt, and Alternate Gabe asking her if she wanted to know more, to ask more. She figured there had been enough for the day. It had been an overload of sensations. She might ask Gabe about it again later. But she never saw him again.